In-between
writing projects, M.J. Kane decided to revisit one of her favorite male characters,
Zachariah Givens. She tells us that no matter how much you think you know your characters, they
still find a way to surprise you. Let's eavesdrop on their conversation, shall we? :)

Character Interview with Zack and
M.J.

“Hi, Zack, long time no
see. Pull up a chair. How are you?”

Zack sits down on the
sofa next to me and pulls his ankle up onto his knee. “I’m hanging in there. How about you?”

“Busy! But this is about
you. First of all, I have to say you were a pleasure and a challenge to write.”

“A challenge?” He laughs
and shakes his head. “Why?”

“Because you are not the
typical romance hero. You’re not an overly Alpha Male and you don’t run around
boasting about your conquests. You also don’t go running after the girl. You’ve
got some complicated issues that make you very interesting, though.”

“I’m not sure how to take
that…”

“No offense intended,
believe me. Personally, I think it’s refreshing to meet a man who’s got
challenges in his life. Whenever your passionate side takes over, that quiet
control that you have, it’s the most attractive thing about you. You’re more
than just eye candy. And what woman doesn’t love a man who’s more than just
good looking?”

Zachariah chuckles and
his cheeks boast a faint pink. “Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve
talked to readers who have read your story and they say one of the things they appreciate
about you most is your relationship with your mother. A woman likes to think
that if you care about your mother, you will care about her.”

Zachariah smiles. “I don’t
know where I’d be without her, especially after losing my dad. My mother
sacrificed a lot for me to become the man I am today. I will be grateful for
that forever.”

“I have to give it to Ms.
Belinda, she taught you well when it comes to how to treat a woman.”

“Respect, honor, cherish,
and appreciate,” he recites while ticking off his fingers. “Things a lot of men
in my generation tend to forget. I guess that makes me old school, huh?”

“Believe me, no matter
what we say or how independent we get, we appreciate it.”

He tilts his head back
and laughs. “If only it were easy to find the right woman. You know I once
thought I’d found her…that perfect woman. It’s funny how life’s challenges can
bring out the true character of someone. And the strange thing is, even though
I knew how she was, to a degree, I never thought she’d hurt me the way she did.”

I watch as his eyes drift
down to his hands, a look of hurt flashing over his face before he slips back
to his calm demeanor. “Zack, do you think it’s possible for a man to be so hurt
by a woman that he refuses to fall in love again?”

He huffs. “And become jaded…yeah,
it’s possible. My story is proof. ”

“So when you met Yasmine,
what were your first thoughts?”

He doesn’t hesitate to
respond. “Beautiful…conceited…complicated…hot as hell….not worth the time, and
out of my league.”

“And yet you were still
attracted to her.”

“Like a magnet. It’s hard
to explain.”

“But instead of trying to
date her, you became her friend?”

A small smile spreads,
lighting up his hazel eyes as if he has a secret. “Yeah, I did. Yasmine is a
good person. It’s a shame nobody sees it.”

“Do you ever regret
becoming her friend?”

His smile fades. “That’s
hard to answer because Yasmine is so complicated, MJ.” He stares up at me. “Why
do women keep secrets? I can’t help but feel she’s hiding something from me,
but I don’t know what it is. Honesty is all I want in a relationship, but it
seems I’m asking for too much. Do you keep secrets?

My stare is blank. “Am I
supposed to answer that?”

Zachariah smirks and
lifts an eyebrow, waiting for my reply.

“I’m a woman, Zack, as you
said, we all keep secrets. Would Yasmine’s secret make you change the way you
feel about her?”

He hesitates. “I guess
we’ll have to find out…”

I have read both of M.J. Kane’s
wonderful contemporary romances, and let me tell you, she has a great way of
interspersing a fiction story with the perfect amount of reality that you get
caught up with the characters as if you know them. TheButterfly Memoirs are
about overcoming challenges, trusting in love and friendship, and having the confidence
that even if you’re different, you deserve your ‘happily ever after’.

You will meet Zack—our guest from the
interview—at the end of Book One of The Butterfly Memoirs and he is the lead
character in Book Two. You can learn more about the series by clicking the
links below.

Some lucky women meet the man of their dreams and live happily ever after. Some lucky women focus on a career and make their own hap...

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